Czech Republic

The marriage of Miss Patricia Goodson to Mr. Ivan Karhan took place on August 14, 2004, in Old Town Center, Prague, Czech Republic. The bride is the daughter of Mr. and Mrs. George Royden Goodson Jr. of Newport News. The groom is the son of Mr. and Mrs. Karl Karhan of Prague. A luncheon followed the ceremony at Petrinski Terasy restaurant and an evening reception was held aboard the riverboat, Andante, on the Vltava river. After a honeymoon in Estoi, Portugal, the couple will reside in Prague.

Mary Weldon Noble Vause and George Walter Volak of Hampton were married at 5:30 p.m. on Saturday, Aug. 1, 2009, at Grace United Methodist Church in Newport News. The Rev. Helen Casey-Rutland officiated. Escorted by her father, the bride is the daughter of Debbie and Frank Vause of Newport News. She is the granddaughter of Rebecca and Jack Vause of Kinston, N.C., and the late Mary Weldon and Kermit Noble, also of the Kinston area. A 2005 honor graduate of the University of Virginia, Mary also earned a master's degree in education with honors from the College of William & Mary.

Former Norfolk State point guard Maurice Whitfield, 31, led his team, Nymburk, to the championship in the best pro basketball league (A-1) in the Czech Republic this season, earning first-team all-league honors. He averaged 15.3 points and a team-high 5.8 assists per game in 43 contests, shooting 49 percent from the field and 83 percent from the free-throw line, pro league. He played about 32 minutes per game for a team that finished 30-2 in the regular season, then swept two playoff series before winning the finals over Mlekarna Kunin - a team that included former UNC Wilmington standout Craig Callahan - four games to two. In those finals, Whitfield scored 34 points in a Game 2 defeat, 25 in a Game 3 victory and 15, along with 11 assists, in a Game 6 triumph.

Reid Hyle, 31, a Carrollton native who lives in DeLand, Fla., qualified for the International Canoe Federation Kayak Marathon World Championships for the fourth year in a row. This year, he will compete in the K-1 (single-handed) and K-2 (double-handed) events in Crestuma, Portugal, in September. Hyle qualified by virtue of his performances at the U.S. team trials on Georgia's Lake Lanier in May. Part of the 1996 Olympic venue was used during a series of 4.3-kilometer laps. In the K-1 race of 31 1/2 kilometers, Hyle won by finishing nearly 90 seconds ahead of Abel Hastings from North Carolina, who will join him in the world competition.

Ivan C. Purman, 73, died Monday, Oct. 3, 2005. Born in Brno, The Czech Republic, he had been a Peninsula resident since 1972 and was a U.S. Air Force veteran of the Korean War. Mr. Purman worked in civil service and in 1987, retired as Deputy Director of the TAC Computer Group at Langley A.F.B. having served for 37 years. During his civil service time he had also served as the first Director of the Air Force Participating Test Unit. Classical music being his passion, Mr. Purman played the violin for many years in the York River Symphony Orchestra.

FIVE REASONS THE U.S. WILL ADVANCE OUT OF GROUP E COACHING: If anyone can get them past the Czech Republic, Ghana and Italy, it's Bruce Arena, who's known for getting the most out of his players. FITNESS: By going full-speed for 90 minutes, the U.S. can pressure offenses into coughing up the ball. EDDIE JOHNSON: He's scored seven goals in first six qualifying matches and can erase the U.S.' reputation as a team that can be taken lightly. QUICKNESS: Use DaMarcus Beasley and Landon Donovan's speed to get to the ball faster than Italy and the Czech Republic.

Hampton University senior Alena Mitackova was named Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference women's tennis player of the year. She led the Lady Pirates to their third consecutive MEAC tournament championship and a chance to take on top-seeded Florida on Friday in the NCAA tourney first round. She has been virtually unbeatable at the No. 2 position for the past two seasons against conference opponents. As a freshman, she was 14-5 at No. 1. In 2003, she became the first women's player from a historically black college to earn a national singles ranking (118th in late April)

"Fat, stupid and with a hamburger in his hand" is the image of a typical American that Czech Republic exchange student Tereza Zabojnikova had before visiting Poquoson in October. The International Programs at Poquoson High School were designed to dispel misconceptions like that. Poquoson has partnership agreements with Balboa Academy in Panama; the Uruguayan American School in Montevideo, Uruguay; and now Gymnazium Uherske Hradiste in the Moravian region of the Czech Republic. Four Poquoson students and a teacher traveled to Uherske Hradiste in March to foster greater understanding and break down cultural barriers.

Christy Prillaman, 37, finished eighth to top Peninsula female runners in the Pomoco Group Running Crab Half Marathon on April 17 in Hampton. Prillaman was timed in 1 hour, 31 minutes, 9 seconds. Anna Pichrtova, who is expected to run in the Olympics for the Czech Republic, won the women's race in 1:15: 40. Prillaman also was a member of the winning Open women's team for the Colonial Road Runners of Williamsburg. This past fall, she won the Hilton Village 5K in 19:46 and placed second in the Mulberry Island Half Marathon at Fort Eustis in 1:31.

The U.S. Senate, as well as legislatures in the 15 other member nations of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization, is being asked to ratify expansion of the defense coalition, which will mark its 50th anniversary in 1999. Leaders of these countries, including President Clinton, agreed in July to bring Poland, Hungary and the Czech Republic into NATO. We believe expansion of NATO strengthens the alliance and better prepares the United States and Europe to face the challenges of the 21st century.

In a recent speech to the Cultural Alliance of Greater Hampton Roads, economist James Koch offered a somewhat gloomy forecast on how the arts are faring in these tough economic times. His overview takes on a painful reality when I read daily reports about companies across the country that have canceled productions, or worse, been forced out of business. Many local groups are suffering as well, including Virginia Premiere Theatre, which had to cancel its two spring productions, "Full Moon Over Montmartre" and "Kuru."

"Fat, stupid and with a hamburger in his hand" is the image of a typical American that Czech Republic exchange student Tereza Zabojnikova had before visiting Poquoson in October. The International Programs at Poquoson High School were designed to dispel misconceptions like that. Poquoson has partnership agreements with Balboa Academy in Panama; the Uruguayan American School in Montevideo, Uruguay; and now Gymnazium Uherske Hradiste in the Moravian region of the Czech Republic. Four Poquoson students and a teacher traveled to Uherske Hradiste in March to foster greater understanding and break down cultural barriers.

John V. Fischel, 48, of Annapolis, Md., died suddenly at his residence in Annapolis, Md., on Monday, May 5, 2008. Mr. Fischel was born in Montreal, Canada, on Feb. 8, 1960, and is the son of Thomas R. Fischel of Williamsburg, Va., and the late Liba Tomek Fischel. Mr. Fischel graduated from the University of Georgia in 1982. Mr. Fischel was a strategic account manager in the commercial carpet industry. He was a consistent producer in building cohesive and motivated sales teams, penetrating new markets and capturing key accounts with A & D. He loved boating, scuba diving, and cooking.

Former Hampton University standout Tarvis Williams, 29, recently completed a productive season in the Czech Republic's National Basketball League, the country's top circuit. The 6-foot-9 post player averaged 13.7 points and 5.9 rebounds per game, helping the Mlekarna team compile a 26-18 record and finish fifth among 12 teams. He shot 58.3 percent from the floor, the sixth-best mark in the NBL. His team reached the playoff quarterfinals before succumbing. Williams played in 2005-06 season for the French team Antibes after playing in 2004-05 with Decin, one of Mlekarna's rivals in the Czech league.

Former William and Mary point guard Sherman Rivers completed a solid season with BK Sadska in the Czech Republic's top basketball league. Rivers, 6-foot-1, averaged 13.8 points and 30 minutes per game. He shot 40 percent from the field (168 of 417), including 25 of 104 from 3-point range. He also hit 53 percent of his free throws (80 of 151). His team finished 7-37, tied for last place in the 12-team league. Rivers also played for Sadska's 4-28 team in 2005-06, when it earned a promotion to the top league because it took the second-division title in the previous season.

Christian Haines beat his opponents Thursday night on his second appearance on "Jeopardy." The 27-year-old from Newport News is a graduate of Warwick High School. On Thursday, he was the only contestant who knew the answer to the final question: that the Lusation Mountains form part of the border between Germany and the Czech Republic. "I hope you risked a lot of money," said Alex Trebek, host of the syndicated quiz show. Haines shrugged. "What? 401 bucks?" Trebek said, surprised.

Former Hampton University standout Tarvis Williams, 29, recently completed a productive season in the Czech Republic's National Basketball League, the country's top circuit. The 6-foot-9 post player averaged 13.7 points and 5.9 rebounds per game, helping the Mlekarna team compile a 26-18 record and finish fifth among 12 teams. He shot 58.3 percent from the floor, the sixth-best mark in the NBL. His team reached the playoff quarterfinals before succumbing. Williams played in 2005-06 season for the French team Antibes after playing in 2004-05 with Decin, one of Mlekarna's rivals in the Czech league.

Former William and Mary player Adam Hess finds a professional career in the Czech Republic. Adam Hess joined a veteran team for his first season of professional basketball, albeit far from his College of William and Mary roots. His teammates with Nymburk in the Czech Republic include former Norfolk State standout Maurice Whitfield, and ex-University of Kansas player Ashante Johnson. "He came into a good situation. He doesn't have to be the go-to guy," Whitfield said of Hess, who averaged more than 20 points per game his last two college seasons in Williamsburg.